bye bye tegel airport, hello innovation hub
Berlin’s former International airport transforms into a tech-green micro-city.
Published On: 10/03/2022
Increasing urbanisation and mounting pressure on the planet’s precious natural resources call for a drastic reimagining of how our urban centres can sustain us. Our home, Berlin, is currently facing a housing crisis; rent in Berlin has doubled between 2009 and 2019. This is just one example of the knock-on effect that urban migration is having on global cities.
In an effort to test new ideas in sustainable infrastructure for growing urban populations, the German federal and Berlin State Governments are funding a pilot project called ‘The Urban Tech Republic.’ The Project reimagines the recently decommissioned Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL) which saw its last flight on November 8th, 2020 to become a hub for innovations in urban planning.
former Tegel Airport circa 1975 - image via GMP Architects. image credit: Landesbildstelle Berlin
The new scheme envisions a masterplan redevelopment of the former TXL terminal buildings and their surroundings into an experimental hybrid precinct for living, working, research, learning and community, with a focus on six key sustainability and liveability priorities;
- Energy efficiency and renewable energy
- Water harvesting and wastewater management
- Sustainable and accessible mobility
- Recycling and waste management
- Technological development
- And green infrastructure including urban food crops
The project has the ambitious goal of becoming an innovation incubator by bringing together academic research institutes such as Berliner Hochschule für Technik University with leading industry experts and tech start-ups. With a vision for a circular economy at its core, the precinct hopes to create many jobs and current projections estimate up to 1, 000 businesses can be catered for on-site. (ARUP, 2022)
Artists’ impression of planned redevelopment - image via GMP Architects
According to German news outlet, DW, a new campus for Berlin's Beuth University for Applied Sciences is also on the cards. This campus will repurpose much of the existing building stock, with the goal of having as little demolition waste as possible, a focus on material reuse, net-zero energy supply and state-of-the-art energy efficiency technology.
“The project in and of itself is a learning process that allows for experimentation, such as figuring out what can be repurposed, what new materials can be used and how to work with nature, not against it...”
(DW, 2022)
Artists’ impression of planned airport interior rennovation - image via GMP Architects
According to the Tegel Projekt GMBH, the development is also set to include around 5, 000 residences and house over 10,000 people in self-sustaining neighbourhoods on site. While the terminal buildings themselves will be thoughtfully transformed into a university student campus thought to house approximately 2, 500 students.
Although this is a small dent in the much-needed space required for Berlin’s current housing crisis, the knowledge and insights from such a project could assist in the development of similar ‘self-sustaining’ urban initiatives around the world. This is something to celebrate. Working together to solve some of the world’s biggest problems and sharing knowledge is the most effective tool we have in the face of our changing world.
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Artists’ impression of planned redevelopment - image via GMP Architects
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Urban concept: Arup
Architectural concept: GMP Architects
Design: Meinhard von Gerkan and Stephan Schütz
Project Lead, Overall Design: Christian Hellmund
Project Lead, Building Design: Clemens Kampermann
Team: Miryam Aykurt, Stefan Both, Andreas Götze, Geraldine Schrammen, Katerine Witte
Landscape Architecture: West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture
Structural Engineering, Lot B: ProfessorPfeiferundPartner PartGmbB
MEP Engineering: LINDSCHULTE Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH
Facade / Building Physics / Energy Concept: Drees & Sommer Berlin GmbH
Fire Protection: imKONTEXT.berlin GmbH
Lighting Design: Lichtvision Design GmbH
Engineering Structures: grbv Ingenieure im Bauwesen GmbH & Co. KG
Client: State of Berlin, represented by Tegel Projekt GmbH
via GMP Architects and Archdaily
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Global Consultancy, ARUP, developed the current ‘Urban Tech Republic’ concept on behalf of the Tegel Projekt GmbH, in collaboration with Transsolar, EPEA, PCH and GRAFT Brandlab.
Further reading and resources:
For more information on this project, head over to Tegel Projekt GmbH’s website: https://www.tegelprojekt.de/en/the-urban-tech-republic.html
For some great resources on how to promote urban resilience and mitigate the effects of climate change, built environment consultancy, ARUP, has a free downloadable report outlining key strategies:
sources:
https://www.arup.com/projects/the-urban-tech-republic
https://www.berlintxl.de/en/about-berlin-txl/sustainable-construction.html
https://www.tegelprojekt.de/en/about-us.html
https://www.tegelprojekt.de/en/the-urban-tech-republic.html
images via ARUP and GMP Architects
